Chancellor barred from pub in her own constituency
The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been banned from a pub in her Pudsey constituency as part of a campaign by landlords against changes to business rates and a host of other challenges facing the sector.
Martin Knowles, who runs the Marsh Inn, has erected a sign saying all Labour MPs – including Ms Reeves – are barred.
He said "they are not doing our industry any favours at all" - adding that his premises had been hit with a £2,500 hike in business rates.
He said his clientele seemed ‘quite happy’ with the ban, and added the Chancellor would be welcome back in if she stopped business rates going "through the roof", lowered VAT and PAYE, and stopped increasing the minimum wage.
The ban has spread nationally to more than 250 pubs, after being started last week by a Dorset landlord.
The Old Thatch landlord Andy Lennox said the protest was a last resort after multiple campaigns spelling out the need for tax cuts ended with higher taxes for the hospitality industry.
But the prime minister's official spokesman said the chancellor had delivered a £4.3bn support package for pubs, restaurants, and cafes because hospitality is a "vital part of our economy".
He said: "Without this intervention pubs would have faced a 45 per cent rise in bills next year. We've cut that down to just 4 per cent.
"We've also maintained the draught beer duty cut, eased licences rules over pavement drinks and events, and capped corporation tax.
"These measures show we're backing hospitality not abandoning it."